Posting Number: RTF00216PO26
USC Market Title: Research Associate
Link to USC Market Title: https://uscjobs.sc.edu/titles/156388
Business Title (Internal Title): Research Associate
Campus: Columbia
Work County: Richland
College/Division: College of Engineering and Computing
Department: CEC Biomedical Engineer
Anticipated Hiring Range: 58,934 - 85,000
Part/Full Time: Full Time
Hours per Week: 40
Work Schedule:
- Monday – Friday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm.
- Schedule may change to meet the needs of the college.
Type of Staff Position: Staff Research Grant (SRGP)
Basis: 12 months
Job Search Category: Other Professional
About University of South Carolina:
From the Upstate to the Lowcountry, the University of South Carolina system is transforming the lives of South Carolinians through the impact of our eight institutions and 20 locations throughout the state. More than 50,000 students are enrolled at one of eight institutions, including the research campus in Columbia and comprehensive four-year universities in Aiken, Upstate and Beaufort. In addition, our Palmetto College campuses in Salkehatchie, Union, Lancaster and Sumter enable students to…
earn associate or bachelor’s degrees through a combination of in-person, online or blended learning. All of our system institutions place strong emphasis on service — helping to build healthier, more educated communities in South Carolina and beyond.
South Carolina Retirement: Yes
State Insurance Programs: Yes
Annual Leave: Yes
Sick Leave: Yes
Advertised Job Summary:
The Research Associate in the Department of Biomedical Engineering within the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing will support research focused on the development of novel therapeutic platforms for traumatic brain injury. Collaborating closely with the principal investigator (PI) as well as independently, the research associate will conduct live mouse studies in accordance with approved protocols, process mouse tissues following necropsy, maintain accurate tissue records, perform histological and biochemical analyses, prepare protocols, reports, manuscripts and grant proposals, and train and mentor graduate students and research assistants contributing to the research project.
Job Related Minimum Required Education and Experience:
- Requires a Doctoral (Ph.D.) degree in area of research specialty.
Preferred Qualifications:
- PhD in Biomedical Engineering or related field by the start date of employment.
Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:
- Experience in the development of nanomaterials-based drug delivery systems.
- Use of mice in biomedical research including handling, injections, health monitoring, behavioral testing, necropsy, and processing of mouse tissue for histological and biochemical analysis.
- Other skills include immunofluorescence microscopy, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), immunoblotting, flow cytometry, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
- Demonstrated abilities to maintain accurate, organized, and detailed records. Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English are required.
Job Duty:
Develops novel therapeutic platforms for traumatic brain injury through the designing and conducting preclinical research using established and innovative experimental approaches to identify, evaluate, and optimize therapeutic interventions. Analyzes experimental findings and incorporates results into subsequent study designs to advance the development and validation of therapeutic strategies.
Essential Function: Yes
Percentage of Time: 20
Job Duty:
Conducts in vivo mouse studies to evaluate experimental therapies for traumatic brain injury, including administering experimental agents, monitoring animal health, conducting behavioral assessments, and performing necropsies in accordance with approved animal-use protocols and established laboratory procedures. Maintains accurate, organized, and detailed records of experimental procedures, observations, treatments, and outcomes to ensure study integrity, protocol compliance, and reliable evaluation of therapeutic efficacy.
Essential Function: Yes
Percentage of Time: 20
Job Duty:
Processes, preserves, and manages mouse tissues collection during experimental studies: Collects, processes, preserves, and manages post-necropsy mouse tissues from experimental studies using established laboratory procedures and approved methods for labeling, storage, and tracking. Maintains accurate and organized records of collected and stored tissues to preserve sample integrity and ensure biological specimens are appropriately documented and available for subsequent experimental analyses.
Essential Function: Yes
Percentage of Time: 15
Job Duty:
Performs histological, biochemical, and molecular analyses of mouse tissues to evaluate experimental outcomes using established and newly developed histological, biochemical, and molecular laboratory methods, and evaluates experimental data results. Maintains accurate, organized, and detailed records of protocols, biological samples, experimental conditions, and data collected to characterize tissue-level responses to traumatic brain injury and determine the biological effects and efficacy of experimental therapeutic interventions.
Essential Function: Yes
Percentage of Time: 15
Job Duty:
Authors scientific protocols, reports, manuscripts, and research proposals to support the research program: Develops, documents, interprets, and synthesizes experimental procedural research findings, prepares reports describing study methods and results, contributes to manuscripts for scientific publication, and develops research proposals for internal and external review and funding. These activities communicate research findings, ensure reproducibility and experimental continuity methods, support scientific dissemination results, and facilitate continued development and research program funding.
Essential Function: Yes
Percentage of Time: 20
Job Duty:
Oversees, trains, and mentors graduate students and research assistants: Provides instruction, guidance, and oversight in experimental procedures, design, interpretation, laboratory techniques and safety, research documentation, data collection and analysis, and compliance with approved research protocols. Reviews work accuracy and quality, assists trainees in developing research skills to ensure consistent research activities execution, reliable experimental data generation, and successful project objectives advancement.
Essential Function: Yes
Percentage of Time: 10
Hazardous weather category: Non-Essential
Employees in Safety-Sensitive or Security-Sensitive positions will be subject to pre-employment and post-employment drug testing in accordance with University policy HR 1.95 Drug and Alcohol Testing: No
Number of Vacancies: 1
Desired Start Date: 10/16/2026
Position End Date: 10/17/2027
Job Open Date: 09/17/2026
Job Close Date: 09/24/2026
Open Until Filled: No
Special Instructions to Applicant:
Applicants must provide detail in the application work history section and upload a copy of their C.V/resume. Positions are advertised for a minimum of five (5) business days on our job website. After five (5) business days, positions can be closed at the discretion of the department at any time. This employment site is updated on a regular basis. The length of the recruitment and screening process may vary from position to position, depending upon a variety of factors. Should review of your qualifications result in a decision to pursue your candidacy, you will be contacted by phone or email. We are only accepting applications submitted by September 24, 2026.
Quicklink for Posting: https://uscjobs.sc.edu/postings/213313
EEO Statement:
The University of South Carolina does not discriminate in employment opportunities or decisions for qualified persons on the basis of age, ancestry, citizenship status, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, military status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected category under applicable law.
Working at University of South Carolina
With more than 200 years of history and tradition, the University of South Carolina is redefining itself for decades to come. There's never been a better time to be at South Carolina, the state's flagship university and one of only 62 public universities to receive the Carnegie Foundation's highest designation for research.
The University is located in the heart of South Carolina in the capital city of Columbia, which is the nexus of government, a thriving arts and culture center, a venue for big-time Southeastern Conference intercollegiate athletics, and a community that is reinventing itself with redevelopment projects citywide. Much of the development is tied to land along the scenic, slow-moving Congaree River. Working with government, business, and community leaders, Carolina has developed a unified plan that will allow the University to expand from its origins on the historic Horseshoe to its future-Innovista, a research and innovation district that will stretch to the banks of the Congaree.
Innovista represents a new vision for research by creating a vibrant, urban community where students and researchers, including those from private firms, will live, work, learn, and play. Innovista will represent the University's four core research areas-hydrogen fuel cells, nanoscience and technology, biomedical and public health, and the environment-but will include other initiatives and business partners that serve the knowledge economy. Innovista's first private tenant, for example, is a leader in software applications for the insurance industry and will create several hundred high-paying jobs.
By attracting similar companies and jobs-and by capitalizing on an attractive location for restaurants and residential and retail space-Innovista will help drive the economy and increase per-capita income in the city and state. Recreational space will include a world-class waterfront park along the Congaree River and a new stadium for the Gamecocks' nationally ranked baseball program. Greenway paths for biking, walking, and running already line much of the river area. Innovista's 8 million square feet will blend seamlessly with the Vista, the city's nearby entertainment district of restaurants, bars, shops, and art galleries.
Chartered in 1801, Carolina began classes in 1805 with nine students and a single building, Rutledge College. As the campus grew and buildings were added during the next 50 years, a horseshoe layout was adopted. Today, the Horseshoe is on the National Register of Historic Places, with 10 of its 11 buildings dating to the 19th century. Those renovated buildings house, among other areas, the South Carolina Honors College and Undergraduate Admissions, representing much of the University's current and future lifeblood.
In fact, incoming freshman classes have never been larger or more competitive. The freshmen from fall 2006 set records for their size (more than 3,700) and SAT scores (1171 average). Freshmen enrolling in the Honors College had average SAT scores of 1398. Members of the University's prestigious scholarship programs, Carolina Scholars for in-state students and McNair Scholars for out-of-state students, had average scores of 1449 and 1477, respectively. Total enrollment at Carolina for undergraduates and graduates is more than 27,300, with some 350 degree programs to choose from. Since 1994, Carolina students have earned more than $9.9 million in prestigious national scholarships such as the Goldwater, Truman, Rhodes, and NSF scholarships and the Fulbright Fellowships.
South Carolina's student body is diverse. In fact, Carolina was recently recognized as the state flagship university with the highest percentage of African-American student enrollment in the nation. Research by the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education shows African-American students made up 14.7 percent of enrollment in 2004, the latest year available. The JBHE also ranks Carolina eighth in the nation in percentage of African-American faculty at a state flagship university with 4.3 percent.
The University's faculty garnered a record $173.3 million in federal, state, and private funding for research, outreach, and training programs in 2005-06, and several key hiring plans will introduce more talent and expertise to the faculty ranks. An aggressive campus building master plan and the faculty recruiting initiatives will change the collective face of the University and the faces of many of its key teachers and researchers.
South Carolina is recruiting world-class faculty to be endowed chairs-and change agents-for a series of "research centers of economic excellence" in areas such as nanoelectronics, polymer nanocomposites, brain imaging, regenerative medicine, cancer therapeutics, drug discovery, vision research, hydrogen fuel cells, and travel and tourism technology. These centers, some in collaboration with other state research universities and health and hospital systems, are funded with $30 million annually in state lottery money, as well as private matching money. Carolina is in the midst of a faculty recruitment plan to hire 600 new members. The Faculty Excellence Initiative is recruiting 150 faculty, many in interdisciplinary clusters of emphasis, while the Centenary Plan will recruit 100 elite research faculty to lead the University's core initiatives. Additionally, 350 faculty will be hired across disciplines to replace retirees over the next few years.
The University has forged a number of international collaborations in research, and the University's global connections are also strong in academics, particularly in international business. U.S. News & World Report has consistently ranked the Moore School of Business best in the nation for its undergraduate and graduate programs in international business; the undergraduate program is No. 1 for the 10th consecutive time, while the graduate program is No. 1 among public universities for the 18th consecutive year and No. 2 overall, continuing a streak of 18 years with a top-two overall ranking.
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